Surfing makes waves among girls

Inspired by surf-themed movies and television programs showcasing women boarders, a new wave of surfer girls can be found everywhere from New Jersey to California, catching waves and ripping a curl.

Santa Cruz and other popular surfing areas are seeing a huge increase in the number of young female surfers interested in learning the sport.

Last year, 8,000 people enrolled in lessons at Santa Cruz Surf School, where they paid $70 dollars an hour for private two-hour lessons. About 55 percent were girls. This year, female enrollment is expected to double.

Two teens head out to the surf at Santa Cruz. More girls are picking up the sport. Photo by Thuy Mai.

On the pro level, about 100 women, more than double five years ago, participate in professional competitions. By comparison, about 800 men compete in pro surfing.

Introduced to surfing when she was 7, Jody Tucker, now 21, of Santa Cruz, was a junior life guard when she decided to buy boards and teach her self how to surf. She has seen more young women take up surfing after seeing "Blue Crush," last year's hit movie about young female surfers in Hawaii.

"It's the feeling of being free, like when you have a hard day at work and you can just go out there and let it all vent," said Tucker, who has competed in the Cold Water Classic, an amateur surfing contest in Santa Cruz, for the last two years. "It's like you have an outlet, and nothing matters anymore."

Dylan Greiner, owner and lead instructor of the Santa Cruz Surf School, has noticed that more girls are taking lessons. They may not be die-hard surfers interested in pursuing a career in the sport, but they're are at least interested, he said.

"The girls who start it and stick with it begin to integrate it into their lifestyle," Greiner said. "More girls are on the path to going pro."

Ariana King, 18, a surfer from Morgan Hill, said, "More girls are surfing, knowing that they have a chance and a place on the water."

On a recent day in Santa Cruz, the smell of wet sand and seaweed was in the air and the water was cold, but the conditions didn't stop more than 50 stoked surfers, half of them teenage girls, from jumping in to ride whatever they could land their boards on. Some were locals, but others such as Janette Schwarz and her teenage daughter, Jackie, came from as far as Slinger, Wis.

The younger Schwarz, who was taking lessons at the Santa Cruz school, was inspired to surf by "Blue Crush" and shows such as MTV's "Surf Girls."
"We don't get many waves in Wisconsin,"Janette Schwarz said, "so I gave them the option of coming here or going on a vacation, and they said 'here.' ''

California is the perfect place for beginners because many surf schools in Santa Cruz and Southern California will teach year-round. And many schools encourage women to take up the sport.

Morgan Hill's King is attracted to surfing because of "the freedom when you're out there," she said. "You forget about everything but your friends in the water."

She hopes more girls will continue to start surfing because of its appeal.